Lexical Summary tolal: tormentors Original Word: תּוֹלָל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Tilon From yalal; causing to howl, i.e. An oppressor -- that wasted. see HEBREW yalal NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition perhaps to be wasted NASB Translation tormentors (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [תּוֺלָל] noun masculine doubtful word, only plural suffix וְתוֺלָלֵינוּ Psalm 137:3 AV RV they that wasted us, compare ᵑ7, but read then וְשׁוֺלְלֵינוּ Bae and others; >Thes596 Hup De and others made us wail (√ ילל). תּוֺמִיךְ see תמך. תּוֺמִים see [תּוֺאָם], תאם. תומן see II. תֵּימָן below ימן. תּוֺעָה see תעה. [תּוֺעָפָה] see II. יעף. [תּוֺצָאָה] see יצא. תוקחת Kt, תָקְהַת Qr, see III. תִּקְוַה p. 876. תוף (√ of following [LevyNHWB iv. 661, under the word תופת, assumes √ תפף]; akin to Ethiopic Topical Lexicon OccurrenceThe noun תּוֹלָל (tôlâl) appears only once in the Old Testament, Psalm 137:3, where it is rendered “tormentors”. The hapax legomenon nature of the word heightens its literary weight, concentrating its meaning in a single, unforgettable scene set by the waters of Babylon. Historical backdrop Psalm 137 was composed during, or in immediate reflection on, the Babylonian exile (586–539 BC). The exiles sat mourning Zion while their captors (“שֹׁבֵינוּ,” captors) and their תּוֹלָל (“tormentors”) pressed them to perform the very worship songs that celebrated the now-ruined Temple. The psalm’s vivid setting reveals the psychological warfare practiced by Babylon: forced entertainment designed to humiliate the covenant people and trivialize their God. Semantic nuance Though the lexeme only occurs here, the parallelism within the verse sharpens its sense: “For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors demanded songs of joy” (Psalm 137:3). Placed beside “captors,” תּוֹלָל emphasizes not physical bondage but emotional and spiritual harassment—mockery that turns sacred praise into entertainment. The term thus connotes mockers who revel in the grief of others, exploiting a vulnerable faith community for sport. Related biblical themes 1. Mockery of the righteous: Job’s friends become “mockers” (Job 17:2), and scoffers deride Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:7). תּוֹלָל belongs to this wider biblical vocabulary of derision aimed at the faithful. Theological significance 1. Sanctity of worship: Babylon’s demand that Israel’s psalmody serve pagan entertainment underscores how true worship cannot be coerced or commodified. Christological and New Testament echoes Jesus faced similar taunting: “They kept crying out, ‘Crucify Him!’” (Mark 15:13) and later, “They hurled insults at Him, shaking their heads” (Matthew 27:39). The cross gathers every תּוֹלָל-type derision and answers it with redemptive resurrection. Peter therefore exhorts believers, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed” (1 Peter 4:14), linking the exile’s experience to Christian discipleship. Application for ministry 1. Pastoral care: The plight captured by תּוֹלָל encourages compassion for believers mocked for their faith, reminding them that ridicule is neither new nor unnoticed by God. Devotional reflection Tôlâl represents every voice that trivializes God’s people and their worship. Yet Scripture’s single use of the word places it in a psalm that ends—both here and canonically—with hope of restoration. The mockers speak once; the praise of the redeemed endures forever (Revelation 19:1–3). Forms and Transliterations וְתוֹלָלֵ֣ינוּ ותוללינו vetolaLeinu wə·ṯō·w·lā·lê·nū wəṯōwlālênūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Psalm 137:3 HEB: דִּבְרֵי־ שִׁ֭יר וְתוֹלָלֵ֣ינוּ שִׂמְחָ֑ה שִׁ֥ירוּ NAS: of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, KJV: of us a song; and they that wasted us [required of us] mirth, INT: act of the songs and our tormentors mirth Sing 1 Occurrence |
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spit, Aramaic (Talmud) תְּפַף id.; Arabic 
fie! for shame! Syriac 
Aph`el (and derivatives) also = spew out (BaES 28), but probably simply return).